13 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 13
- ItemSensor placement technique using BaTiO3/epoxy resin piezoelectric composite sensors based on differential imaging method for damage detection in structural health monitoring(Cambridge : arXiv, 2016) Taltavull Cazcarra, Adrià ; Bareiro Ferreira, Oscar; Sridaran Venkat, Ramanan; Adam, Jens; Boller, ChristianStructural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an emerging technology in many engineering disciplines that aims at designing systems being able to continuously monitor ageing of structures throughout their life span. Damage monitoring using guided waves (GWs) is one promising approach in that regard. Principally a network of integrated piezoelectric transducer patches (actuators and sensors) on a structure generates GWs, where the GWs propagate through the structure and relative information about the damage is finally obtained. Based on damage mechanics principles and damage tolerance criteria, the structure’s remaining useful life is then be determined from the data recorded by the transducers and the need for structural maintenance actions can finally be derived accordingly. The detectability of the growing structural damage is highly dependent on the placement of actuators and sensors. This therefore requires an optimum placement of those transducers to be found, which is obtained through simulation. This need for simulation becomes specifically relevant when structures are large and complex. A new approach presented within the paper proposed has therefore been developed, which is based on differential imaging/signals, where the differential is determined from the difference of the wave patterns between an undamaged and a damaged condition. The resulting topology of the differential signal is considered to define the shape/pattern of the respective piezoelectric transducers, which will be placed on the structural component considered using a defined coating process. The coating and monitoring process applied using a BaTiO3/epoxy resin will be demonstrated on a thin aluminium test coupon with three holes where a crack of tolerable length has originated from one of the holes due to fatigue loading and the coated piezoelectric composite transducer pattern for monitoring the crack has been defined from the output of guided wave FEM simulations.
- ItemCarbon onion / sulfur hybrid cathodes via inverse vulcanization for lithium sulfur batteries(Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017) Choudhury, Soumyadip; Srimuk, Pattarachai; Raju, Kumar; Tolosa, Aura; Fleischmann, Simon; Zeiger, Marco; Ozoemena, Kenneth I.; Borchardt, Lars; Presser, VolkerA sulfur–1,3-diisopropenylbenzene copolymer was synthesized by ring-opening radical polymerization and hybridized with carbon onions at different loading levels. The carbon onion mixing was assisted by shear in a two-roll mill to capitalize on the softened state of the copolymer. The sulfur copolymer and the hybrids were thoroughly characterized in structure and chemical composition, and finally tested by electrochemical benchmarking. An enhancement of specific capacity was observed over 140 cycles at higher content of carbon onions in the hybrid electrodes. The copolymer hybrids demonstrate a maximum initial specific capacity of 1150 mA h gsulfur−1 (850 mA h gelectrode−1) and a low decay of capacity to reach 790 mA h gsulfur−1 (585 mA h gelectrode−1) after 140 charge/discharge cycles. All carbon onion/sulfur copolymer hybrid electrodes yielded high chemical stability, stable electrochemical performance superior to conventional melt-infiltrated reference samples having similar sulfur and carbon onion content. The amount of carbon onions embedded in the sulfur copolymer has a strong influence on the specific capacity, as they effectively stabilize the sulfur copolymer and sterically hinder the recombination of sulfur species to the S8 configuration.
- ItemEpidermal growth factor receptor subunit locations determined in hydrated cells with environmental scanning electron microscopy(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2013) Peckys, Diana B; Baudoin, Jean-Pierre; Eder, Magdalena; Werner, Ulf; de Jonge, NielsImaging single epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) in intact cells is presently limited by the available microscopy methods. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) of whole cells in hydrated state in combination with specific labeling with gold nanoparticles was used to localize activated EGFRs in the plasma membranes of COS7 and A549 cells. The use of a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector yielded a spatial resolution of 3 nm, sufficient to identify the locations of individual EGFR dimer subunits. The sizes and distribution of dimers and higher order clusters of EGFRs were determined. The distance between labels bound to dimers amounted to 19 nm, consistent with a molecular model. A fraction of the EGFRs was found in higher order clusters with sizes ranging from 32–56 nm. ESEM can be used for quantitative whole cell screening studies of membrane receptors, and for the study of nanoparticle-cell interactions in general.
- ItemDischarge during detachment of micro-structured PDMS sheds light on the role of electrostatics in adhesion(Milton Park : Taylor & Francis, 2012) Brörmann, Katrin; Burger, Karin; Jagota, Anand; Bennewitz, RolandLight emission due to discharge in air is detected during and after the detachment of microstructured PDMS samples from glass surfaces, showing contact charging of the surfaces. The light emission provides information about the detachment process, like the velocity of the peeling front, which is difficult to obtain otherwise. While the work of separation exhibits the dependence on pulling velocity typically found for viscoelastic materials, the emission intensity exhibits almost no velocity dependence. We present a model for the rate-dependent contribution of a mosaic of contact charges to the work of separation. Also, the work of separation increases as expected with increasing aspect ratio of the microstructure, while the emission intensity shows a maximum for intermediate structures. Based on their different dependencies and on an upper-bound estimate of the energy emitted as light, we conclude that for the given system the contribution of electrostatic attraction to the work of separation is minor.
- ItemDissection of iron signaling and iron accumulation by overexpression of subgroup Ib bHLH039 protein(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2017) Naranjo-Arcos, Maria Augusta; Maurer, Felix; Meiser, Johannes; Pateyron, Stephanie; Fink-Straube, Claudia; Bauer, PetraIron is an essential growth determinant for plants, and plants acquire this micronutrient in amounts they need in their environment. Plants can increase iron uptake in response to a regulatory transcription factor cascade. Arabidopsis thaliana serves as model plant to identify and characterize iron regulation genes. Here, we show that overexpression of subgroup Ib bHLH transcription factor bHLH039 (39Ox) caused constitutive iron acquisition responses, which resulted in enhanced iron contents in leaves and seeds. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that 39Ox plants displayed simultaneously gene expression patterns characteristic of iron deficiency and iron stress signaling. Thereby, we could dissect iron deficiency response regulation. The transcription factor FIT, which is required to regulate iron uptake, was essential for the 39Ox phenotype. We provide evidence that subgroup Ib transcription factors are involved in FIT transcriptional regulation. Our findings pose interesting questions to the feedback control of iron homeostasis.
- ItemDevelopment of the fabrication process and characterization of piezoelectric BaTiO3/epoxy composite used for coated ultrasonic transducer patterns in structural health monitoring(Cambridge : arXiv, 2016) Bareiro Ferreira, Oscar; Sridaran Venkat, Ramanan; Adam, Jens; Boller, ChristianStructural health monitoring (SHM) is based on integrating and/or adapting a sensor system into a structure such that a tolerable damage to occur can be monitored. This requires a network of transducers specifically when this SHM approach is considered as a monitoring system such as based on guided waves. A desirable solution would be to get a transducer network simply ‘printed’ on the structure considered once the network has been designed such as through a simulation approach. In the paper proposed the fabrication process and characterization of a piezoelectric composite to be used as an ultrasonic transducer for damage sensing of structures based on SHM using guided waves is first considered. The composite consists of piezoelectric BaTiO3 particles homogenously distributed in an epoxy resin matrix. A paste with a solid volume fraction of up to 50 vol% was prepared by the direct mechanical mixing of the piezoelectric particles in the epoxy matrix. Due to the ferroelectric properties of BaTiO3 the polarization of the composite is required with a high electric field prior to use. Two electrodes placed on both sides of the samples are required to measure the dielectric and electromechanical properties of the composite in the form of a thick film. The influence of the volume fraction of BaTiO3 on the dialectic properties and piezoelectric transversal constant (d33) of the piezoelectric composite will be shown. Beyond this more materials processing related work performance of those transducers will be demonstrated. This will be done in terms of getting those coated as a transducer pattern/network on a hosting structure after having had the transducer network determined through simulation. Validation of the approach will be done by looking at the transducer network’s performance in terms of detecting guided acoustic waves.
- ItemSpecies-specific shells: chitin synthases and cell mechanics in molluscs(Berlin : de Gruyter, 2012) Weiss, Ingrid M.The size, morphology and species-specific texture of mollusc shell biominerals is one of the unresolved questions in nature. In search of molecular control principles, chitin has been identified by Weiner and Traub (FEBS Lett. 1980, 111:311–316) as one of the organic compounds with a defined co-organization with mineral phases. Chitin fibers can be aligned with certain mineralogical axes of crystalline calcium carbonate in a species-specific manner. These original observations motivated the functional characterization of chitin forming enzymes in molluscs. The full-length cDNA cloning of mollusc chitin synthases identified unique myosin domains as part of the biological control system. The potential impact of molecular motors and other conserved domains of these complex transmembrane enzymes on the evolution of shell biomineralization is investigated and discussed in this article. The size, morphology and species-specific texture of mollusc shell biominerals is one of the unresolved questions in nature. In search of molecular control principles, chitin has been identified by Weiner and Traub (FEBS Lett. 1980, 111:311–316) as one of the organic compounds with a defined co-organization with mineral phases. Chitin fibers can be aligned with certain mineralogical axes of crystalline calcium carbonate in a species-specific manner. These original observations motivated the functional characterization of chitin forming enzymes in molluscs. The full-length cDNA cloning of mollusc chitin synthases identified unique myosin domains as part of the biological control system. The potential impact of molecular motors and other conserved domains of these complex transmembrane enzymes on the evolution of shell biomineralization is investigated and discussed in this article. Read More: http://www.oldenbourg-link.com/doi/abs/10.1524/zkri.2012.1530
- ItemBifunctional hydrogels containing the laminin motif IKVAV promote neurogenesis(Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2017) Farrukh, Aleeza; Ortega, Felipe; Fan, Wenqiang; Marichal, Nicolás; Paez, Julieta I.; Berninger, Benedikt; del Campo, Aránzazu; Salierno, Marcelo J.Engineering of biomaterials with specific biological properties has gained momentum as a means to control stem cell behavior. Here, we address the effect of bifunctionalized hydrogels comprising polylysine (PL) and a 19-mer peptide containing the laminin motif IKVAV (IKVAV) on embryonic and adult neuronal progenitor cells under different stiffness regimes. Neuronal differentiation of embryonic and adult neural progenitors was accelerated by adjusting the gel stiffness to 2 kPa and 20 kPa, respectively.While gels containing IKVAV or PL alone failed to support long-term cell adhesion, in bifunctional gels, IKVAV synergized with PL to promote differentiation and formation of focal adhesions containing b1-integrin in embryonic cortical neurons. Furthermore, in adult neural stem cell culture, bifunctionalized gels promoted neurogenesis via the expansion of neurogenic clones. These data highlight the potential of synthetic matrices to steer stem and progenitor cell behavior via defined mechano-adhesive properties.
- ItemDirection specific adhesion induced by subsurface liquid filled microchannels(Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2012) Majumder, Abhijit; Mondal, Subrata; Tiwari, Anurag Kumar; Ghatak, Animangsu; Sharma, AshutoshWhile directional effects in adhesion and locomotion have in general been generated by creating symmetry breaking topographic features on the surface of a soft bodied object, here we present a novel method for imparting this effect to thin adhesive layers by embedding liquid filled microchannels arranged in pairs with specific intra and inter pair distances. The adhesive exhibits uniform adhesion in classical peel tests when both the channels are filled with either air or a wetting liquid. But the asymmetric effect shows up when only one of the channels in the pair is filled with the liquid. The liquid alters the surface tension of the inner wall of the channel, which results in bulging deformation of the thin skin of the adhesive over the channel. The bulging however remains asymmetric, the extent of asymmetry depending on the intra-pair spacing between the channels. Besides the bulging effect, filling in one channel of a pair with liquid also leads to an asymmetric variation in its modulus. As a result, when an adherent is peeled off the adhesive from two opposite directions, significantly different adhesion strengths result. A similar directional effect also results when channels of two different diameters are used in the pair, thus opening up the possibility of generating several different adhesion strengths simply by altering the geometric features of the embedded microstructure and its filling status. We show also that for both channels in a pair filled with liquid, the adhesion strength increases significantly, by over 60 times of what is achieved for a smooth, featureless, adhesive layer.
- ItemOn the behaviour of nanoparticles in oil-in-water emulsions with different surfactants(Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014) Lacava, Johann; Ouali, Ahmed-Amine; Raillard, Brice; Kraus, TobiasThe distribution of narrowly dispersed gold nanoparticles in hexane-in-water emulsions was studied for different surfactants. Good surfactants such as SDS and Triton X-100 block the oil-water interfaces and confine particles in the droplet. Other surfactants (Tween 85 and Span 20) form synergistic mixtures with the nanoparticles at the interfaces that lower the surface tension more than any component. Supraparticles with fully defined particle distribution form in the droplets only for surfactants that block the interface. Other surfactants promote the formation of fcc agglomerates. Nanoparticles in emulsions behave markedly different from microparticles-their structure formation is governed by free energy minimization, while microparticles are dominated by kinetics.